Plus-MINT Conference at the Steinmühle

On November 10 and 11, the six plus-MINT boarding schools gathered at the Steinmühle at the invitation of the Verein zur plus-MINT Talentförderung e.V. In addition to substantive program items and the association’s work, the conference provided ample opportunity for participants to get to know one another, exchange ideas, and gain professional insights.

Participants from the six plus-MINT locations enjoyed two eventful days of MIN(T) together in the university town.

Professional insights and peer-to-peer exchange at the “Science Fair”

Prof. Albrecht Beutelspacher, the founder and director of the Mathematikum in Giessen, gave an inspiring STEM lecture.

Immediately afterward, students from all plus-MINT boarding schools had the opportunity to present their own projects in short presentations. The plus-MINT students from Steinmühle, together with the day students, presented their research projects at a “science fair.” The experiments were set up on tables and displayed on display panels. The students stood next to their experiments, ready to answer questions. This type of presentation led to many in-depth discussions and was found to be very enriching by everyone involved.

“We got a lot of interesting tips for our project,” says Toshiro (14).

“I loved it because I got to present my experiments to so many people. The math presentation was great, too—it showed the fun side of math. But the very best part was that my dad didn’t pick me up until late, so I could hang out with the others at the tea room that evening,” enthuses Akaash (10).

“It’s precisely these encounters and conversations among equals that make such events so special. Here, people chat in a relaxed atmosphere and discuss their interests with like-minded peers. That’s exactly what we hoped to achieve at the conference at the Steinmühle,” says plus-MINT project manager Sven Meier enthusiastically. “We want to build a strong network of students, teachers, and scientists and provide young people with a platform where they are taken seriously and can inspire one another.”

STEM at the Steinmühle

In the summer of 2021, Steinmühle became one of six plus-MINT boarding schools in Germany. The plus-MINT program began with four students at the start of the 2022–2023 school year. Clara, Marlene, Luis, and Fabian applied online via the plus-MINT website in the fall of 2021 and were successful in the selection process. They have since become an integral and important part of the boarding school community. “The four of them really enrich our boarding school community—it’s great to have them here!” reports boarding school director Anke Muszynski.

At Steinmühle, STEM has long been an integral part of the school, and students celebrate major successes every year in statewide competitions such as “Jugend forscht.” “We’ve been working here for years to make STEM appealing to our students. We’ve developed the concept of the ‘Open Student Lab,’ where day and boarding students can conduct research based on their respective areas of interest, and projects naturally emerge from these interests,” reports Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf, the STEM coordinator at Steinmühle, with pride.

Linking the plus-MINT program with the numerous other STEM activities at Steinmühle is an exciting challenge. The conference at Steinmühle and joint participation in plus-MINT camps are paving the way for the future. Most recently, five day students and the four plus-MINT students went to the astronomy camp in Heidelberg—a great experience for everyone involved.

“The partnership with plus-MINT is a huge asset and brings great new ideas and opportunities for all students at Steinmühle!” adds Björn Gemmer, principal of Steinmühle.

Establishment of a Student Advisory Board and Expansion of Collaboration

At the annual general meeting of the plus-MINT Association, a student advisory board was elected for the first time, in addition to the executive board. “In the future, students will have even more say and influence—that’s very important to us in the plus-MINT program,” explains Sven Meier, project manager of the plus-MINT program.

A podcast series is planned for the next six months, which will be produced by the plus-MINT boarding school Louisenlund. “All boarding schools are welcome to contribute to the podcast. Here at Steinmühle, we’re already thinking about what we’d like to present to people interested in STEM across the region,” says Fabian (15). He and his classmate Marlene (14) were elected by Steinmühle to the plus-MINT advisory board.

Fabian goes on to say: “The plus-MINT network offers us so many opportunities to further develop our passion for STEM. I’ve already developed a concrete idea for a project with a plus-MINT student from Louisenlund. It would be very difficult for me to carry that out on my own.”

Plus-MINT Camp in early 2023 at the Steinmühle

The next opportunity for group activities is coming up soon: “In January, we’ll have a first here at the Steinmühle. For the first time, we’ll be hosting a plus-MINT Camp,” says MINT coordinator Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf. “The focus will be on mathematics. We’re still fine-tuning the exact schedule, but there will definitely be an exciting and varied program.”